He adds ," Performing digitally during lockdown , was quite an experience and a challenge since there were no possibilities of having a harmonium accompaniment , so we had to play the Lehra on the phone and adjust the laya manually . Durgaji told me to play the speciality of Benaras Gharana the ' Dhamar Taal ', which I played initially . I tried to demonstrate the ' Khula Baaj ' of Pakhawaj Ang in ' Dhamar Taal ' followed by Teen Taal , which I played for the next half of the concert ."
Talking about how ' Utsaah ' is different from any other digital platform , Shubh Maharaj said ," Utsaah has been a trendsetter in its very own right as it started in the initial phases of lockdown , so many channels picked up a trend of having conversations with the artists following it . But , one thing that bothers me is , that after just two days of my performance in Utsaah , the content was all over the internet and on Youtube , and people started monetising on views and subscriptions . With all these apps you can download videos from Facebook , so there is no exclusivity . So , I feel some exclusivity needs to be there , and content should be on their Art & Artist website , since I played certain things for them , which I never play in my usual concerts ."
Sarangi Maestro Ustad Kamal Sabri , son of the late Sarangi Maestro Ustad
Sabri Khan tells about his interaction with Durgaji tells , " We had a wonderful time talking , because she also comes from a musical background and understands musicianship very well . Durgaji knows how to get the best out of any musician and it was one of my best interaction on Music so far ."
He adds ," I performed Raga ' Gaud Malhar ' which was her choice , since it was the rainy season and many musicians had already performed Raga ' Miyan ki Malhar ', following which I performed a couple of compositions and a Kajri of Purab Ang ' Bhiji jaun main piya bachaye liyo '. It was a pleasure performing at ' Utsaah ' which has a very different kind of an audience , who are serious listeners of Indian classical music , and understand the raga and compositions deeply ."
Vidushi Shalmalee Joshi is one of most foremost exponents of Jaipur Atrauli Gharana and disciple of legendary musician and composer Pandit Ratnakar Paiji , who gave her the advance training on the intricacies of the Jaipur Gayaki along with a vast repertoire of Anwat ( Rare Ragas ) and Traditional compositions . Talking about her performance in Utsaah Shalmaleeji tells ," In my initial conversation with Durgaji she told me that looking at my repertoire , she would look forward to listen an Anwat Raga along with Raga Bihagda . Likewise I performed both starting my presentation with Raga ' Godhani ' which is a very rare unheard raga and is very close to Ragas Bhinna Shadaj and Hemant . I performed the bandish ' Goya Gad Re Ke ', which is composed in Jhaptaal . The speciality of this bandish is that it ' s sam is ' Ateet ', i . e the Sam of the bandish comes just after the sam . This is a very uncommon raga and we do not find any recordings of this raga sung by any musician on any media ."
Talking about the digital concert scenario she says ," During the time of corona when live concerts were not happening , digital concerts came as a new avenue to showcase both the art and the artists . But , I strongly feel that with these concerts , if a sponsor is also incorporated it can also help the artist community monetarily in the testing times , since our music is not just pure entertainment , it ' s a sadhana of a lifetime , and it should not be presented for free ."
" I feel you can achieve many materialist things in life , but classical music is a divine art form , which you need to follow with a purity of mind and the soul , and with absolute dedication and commitment towards your guru and your art , which is very im-portant .' Utsaah ' is the way ahead to propagate our music , traditions and culture to a global audience , inspiring many to follow this alternative path to spirituality ," she concluded .
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